


Week of Cliches

by LileNoire



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - No Smaug, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Arranged Marriage, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Omega Verse, Toxic Relationships, bodyguard crush, cliches, free for all, partner in danger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-17
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2017-12-29 16:36:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1007653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LileNoire/pseuds/LileNoire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of Dwalin/Ori drabbles for Week of Clichés.</p><p>Chapter 1: Soulmate/Soulmark<br/>Chapter 2: Arranged Marriage<br/>Chapter 3: Love Obstructing Brothers<br/>Chapter 4: Omega!Verse<br/>Chapter 5: Bodyguard Crush<br/>Chapter 6: Partner in Danger<br/>Chapter 7: Free for all</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Soulmate/Soulmark

**Author's Note:**

> This is super late as Week for Clichés (which you can find here:http://fyeahorwal.tumblr.com/post/63319369298/week-of-cliches) started on the 14th, but I guess it's better than nothing.
> 
> Enjoy!

Before they had met, Ori had never believed in the concept of soulmates. In fact, begging your pardon, he thought it was a load of horseshit.  

Each race had their own versions, but it was the dwarven in particular that made his eyes roll. Really, it was ridiculous. All it took to know who your soulmate was? Just one look. One look and you and your soulmate fall in love and are instantly meant to be together, no questions asked.

Pah! What nonsense!

Alright, so admittedly, when he was very young, the stories of love at first sight had enchanted him. And he may or may not have spent more than one night dreaming of what his future soulmate might be like, what they would look like, if they were handsome or beautiful.

But those days were long behind him. He was a grown dwarf now, having had his second naming ceremony just five years ago. Those stories were for children now.

Besides, if they did happen in real life, it never happened to his family. His mother was with three men, all of which she had loved once then left after she had her sons. Dori and Nori never showed any indication that they had a soul mate, so Ori figured that the same would be for him.

He was actually rather content with that thought if he was honest. He had his family, a well-paid job, his friends, everything he needed. Nothing more, nothing less.

Then, he met _him_. Just like that, his little supposedly content life came crashing down.

* * *

It had been a relatively normal Saturday night. Dori closed the café early and let Ori go to the tavern with Fili and Kili, so long he was back at midnight, sharp.

It was busy tonight, thick with tobacco smoke and filled with rowdy miners wasting their payday. The boys found themselves in a booth of their own, mostly drinking and chatting amongst themselves when they were not pushing away the odd drunk and joining in drinking songs. Ori laughed until his gut hurt, relishing in the rare time away from Dori’s fuss and mothering for once and feeling rather good about it.

And then…

“By Durin’s beard!” Kili exclaimed, his eyes alight and focused across the room. “Fili, look who it is!”

The older brother turned his head to where Kili was pointing at, his eyebrows raised and he grinned from ear to ear. “Well, well, well!”

“What? Ori said, looking in their direction. He strained his neck over the crowd to see who they were looking at. “Who are you-”

He turned back, seeing the princes out of their seats and already weaving through the crowd.

“Oi!”

He rushed after them, trying his best not to bump into anyone. He soon found them greeting a tall dwarf whose face was hidden beneath a dark-green hooded cloak.

“-keeping out of trouble,” the stranger was saying gruffly when Ori reached them and the princes laughed and hugged him.

“Hey!” Ori exclaimed, stumbling a bit. “Could you give me a warning before you run off like that?”

“Oh, sorry Ori!” Fili said, breaking the hug to put and arm around Ori. “We forgot about you!”

“Oh, dear! How could we leave our poor, sweet, baby behind!” Kili joked, slinging his arm over Ori’s other side. “What terrible parents we must be Fili!”

“Give over!” Ori scolded, pushing their arms off him, though he betrayed a little smirk as they laughed.

“Boys,” the stranger said, removing his hood. “aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Ori stared and his smile vanished.

The dwarf was bald at the top of his head, scarred and inked with runes of battle. His long black hair grew from the sides and spilled over his shoulders. He had a full, black beard and moustache that Ori only dreamed of having. A long scar ran from the bridge of his nose to the edge of his right eyebrow. His eyes were blue, staring down at Ori with surprising softness and he grinned, wide and friendly.

Somehow, he was the most beautiful dwarow Ori had ever seen and he found himself involuntary smiling back.

He barely registered Fili speaking. “Ah, yes! Dwalin, This is our old mate, Ori. Ori, Dwalin! He’s our uncle’s friend!”

“Pleasure,” Dwalin said, offering his hand to shake, those blue eyes burning into Ori’s.

It was then that Ori realised what had happened and felt a small pang of panic.

_Oh no._


	2. Arranged Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This drabble contains slight angst from an unwanted arranged marriage between two friends who are forced into it for vague reasons. Also, kinda Smaug-never-came AU and implied Orilik.

The young lad paced the room, up and down, wringing his hands with a nervous expression.  Dwalin resisted the urge to sigh. They were in their chambers for no more than 10 seconds, but giving the circumstances, he supposed he couldn’t blame Ori.

“Lad, settle down and take a seat. You’re making me dizzy with all this pacing,” he said, plonking down on a chair and removing his boots.

Ori didn’t stop pacing as he spoke. “How can I? We’re married now, and now we’re supposed to- they expect us-”

Ori stopped pacing, flushing red and making a vague gesture with his hands that was somehow supposed to explain everything.

Dwalin pursed his lips, but said nothing as he took the bottle of ale on the small table. He poured two glasses and offered one to Ori. It was snatched out of his hands in an instant and Ori drank it in one go.

Dwalin finally sighed. “Look, I’m not entirely happy with our…little situation either, but we don’t have to consummate the marriage tonight.  I haven’t taken an unwilling bed partner yet and I’m not going to start with you.”

Ori looked at him in surprise, and then his eyes softened. “Thank you,” he said clearly grateful. “I am glad to have you as a friend.”

“So I suppose I won’t be a bad husband then,” Dwalin half-joked, taking a swig from his drink.

He regretted speaking at once. Ori turned pale and looked down at his boots. Dwalin spotted his marriage braid swinging from behind his ear. The mithril bead he had tied into place only hours ago glittered in the firelight, as if taunting him. Dwalin swallowed, feeling the cold mithril of his own bead against his left ear.

They said nothing, with only the crackling of the fire to fill the silence. Dwalin didn’t wish for this, but especially not for Ori. The lad was young, had so much to look forward to without a marriage tying him down.  He had known him since he was a little dwarrow, a bright-eyed lad so eager, so determined to accomplish his dreams. Dwalin was just his friend, admittedly an older, more mentor-with-stories-of-battles-and-quests kind of friend but a friend, nonetheless.

But no! Some fat, short git who-shall-not-be-named decided it would be a good idea to meet up with another fat short git who-also-shall-not-be-named and play matchmaker, unite the families, this-will-be-good-for-you-and-all-of-us blah, blah, blah.

Oh, how Dwalin had argued and fought! How Ori had begged and pleaded. How Nori had reasoned and bribed. For yes, even a thief was against the idea (though probably more so for his brother’s sake, Dwalin thought).

But they were stubborn fools. They all were. And now, here the couple were, married and miserable.

To add more insult to injury, Dwalin knew of a certain dark-haired prince Ori had been sharing shy glances and secret meetings with. He was not present at the wedding.

Dwalin shook his head. They would figure this out somehow. There had to be a way out of this, for both of them. But until they could find one…

“Another drink?”

“Oh, yes please!”


	3. Love Obstructing Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was fed up of constantly overprotective we-hate-Dwalin-with-all-our-guts Dori and Nori I see far too often, so I twisted this a little. 
> 
> Slight warning for toxic family relationship.

“Will you stop that!”

Balin jumped a little, taken aback by his brother’s sudden snap.

“What?” he asked Dwalin’s scowling face.

“Don’t you ‘what’ me!” Dwalin growled, prodding Balin’s chest with a large finger. “You’re doing it again!”

 Realising what he was angry about, Balin swatted Dwalin’s hand away and folded his arms, puffing out his chest defensively. “I have no idea what you are talking about,” he replied, stiffly.

Dwalin opened his mouth to speak, but then his eyes turned to the company. They were silent, thirteen pairs of eyes observing their little argument. Ori, who had been sat next to Dwalin before Balin plonked himself between them, leaned slightly away from them, his eyes nervously flickering back and forth between the two.

“Ah,” Dwalin said, standing up. “Please excuse us. I need to talk with my brother.” He glared at said brother as he added with gritted teeth, “ _Alone.”_

He led Balin about twenty feet away and well hidden by the trees before rounding on him again. “Don’t play stupid with me! You know exactly what you’re doing!”

Balin sighed. He should’ve known he would get caught.

“Alright, yes. I know what I’m doing. Is that all you wanted, brother?”

“No!” Dwalin snapped. “I want you to stop trying to separate us like that!”

Balin scoffed.

“I mean it!” Dwalin added. “We’ve made our decision. The others have accepted it and you’ll have to as well!”

“That doesn’t make it any less wrong,” Balin replied, coldly.

Dwalin’s face was a picture of fury. He stepped forward so he towered over Balin, glowering down at him, a trait he pulled since he discovered his sudden growth spurt. “And why is that so?”

“Must I spell it out for you?” Balin said, glaring back. “He is too young for you!”

“What if I don’t care about that? Ever thought about that?”

“Yes, like that time you didn’t care Harim was a crook and a murderer!”

“That was different! I was younger, stupid-”

“Oh, yes! And you’ve grown so much smarter with age!”

“Look, don’t do this!”

“Do what? Knock some sense into you?! Dwalin, not only is he barely an adult, we are we on a quest! One that could restore or destroy our lives! And here you are buggering about with some poor whore’s bas-”

“DON’T YOU CALL HIM THAT!” Dwalin roared. “EVER!”

A flock of birds flew off in shock nearby but they ignored them. Dwalin face was red, his eyes mad. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously low.

“I know it’s a risk, but I have faith in Thorin. We will get Erebor back and I will be with Ori. And if you ever get between us again, dragon fire will be the least of your worries.”

Balin didn’t response. He felt something gnaw at him in the back of his mind at Dwalin’s words, something unpleasant and cold.

Finally, Balin shook his head. “Very well then,” he finally said. “Fine. Do as you please then. I won’t be in your way anymore.”

And with that, he turned on his heel and headed back to camp.

* * *

Dwalin watched Balin storm off with a scowl, then closed his eyes and counted to ten. Then twenty. Slowly, the anger simmered down but he didn’t relax. His hands were still balled into fists and his teeth clenched so hard it hurt.

He hated it when Balin did this, criticizing almost all of his decisions and making him flashback to painful memories when he was a small, adolescent teenager. It died down a bit when they got older and Dwalin saw less and less of Balin, but still, as today proved, it lingered.

“Dwalin?”

He opened his eyes, seeing Ori stare at him worryingly with those big, brown eyes. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Dwalin’s bicep comfortingly. Dwalin remembered to breathe, but he shook all over.

“I love him,” he whispered. “Really, I do. He’s just-”

He couldn’t finish the sentence. Very carefully, Ori reached up and brought his arms around Dwalin, his chin just able to rest on Dwalin’s shoulder. Dwalin returned the embrace, shaking and burying his face into Ori’s neck, breathing in his scent, relishing in the softness of his body and everything that was just Ori.

“Dori said he will talk to him,” Ori said, quietly in his ear. “He shouldn’t treat you like this, even though he has the best interests.”

He parted away a little and gave him a small smile. “But I’m glad you stood up for me, and yourself.”

“Won’t be my last either, I fear,” Dwalin mumbled, but managed to smile back before tilting Ori chin and kissing him softly.


	4. Omega!Verse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the most challenging fic, mainly because I have vague/no idea how Omega!Verse works or get it! 
> 
> But don’t say I didn’t try!
> 
> Also, I borrowed Bomber's wife's name from Tagath.

“I want babies!”

Ori started, nearly knocking his ink bottle over. He looked in astonishment at Dwalin, but his partner’s face was dead serious. “I- What!?”

A blush crept over Dwalin’s cheeks but he kept his face solid as he repeated, “I want to have children and I want them to be yours.”

Ori was lost for words. All the years they’ve been together, Dwalin never, not once expressed interest in baring children. And he didn’t reek of his usual, monthly scent, so that was defiantly not the heat talking.  

Ori coughed. “Erm-so-why the sudden interest?”

Dwalin blinked. His blush deepened to a shade of a tomato and he looked down at his hands, which busied themselves with his knuckledusters.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, shyly. “I’ve just been thinking a lot. I keep seeing Bomber and Lani’s lot and I feel…I need…I mean…well, my last heat…it left me feeling- erm. It-”

Dwalin groaned in frustration, burying his face in his hands and sitting on the edge of their bed. He muttered and swore incoherently in Khuzdul, something about, ‘this sounded so much better in my head.’

Ori took pity on him. Dwalin had never been good at talking about his needs as an Omega and he had been acting odd for the past few weeks. But they couldn’t possibly be parents. Ori was just a Beta and they was a small chance that he could impregnate Dwalin.

But, then again…

Ori set his feather quill down, stood from his desk and went over to Dwalin. He pried his hands from Dwalin’s face then cradled it with his own hands, bumping their foreheads together affectionately.

“You handsome, silly dwarf,” he said, bringing his left hand to the back of his neck, stroking lightly with his fingertips. Dwalin relaxed, closing his eyes and leaning into Ori’s touch, humming contently.

“Are you sure you want this?” he asked, softly.

“Yes,” replied Dwalin and he opened his eyes. He swallowed, examining Ori’s face nervously. “But only if you want to.”

Ori pursed his lips thoughtfully. Children would be another responsibility to add to the list. Ori was already shoulders-deep in his work with scriptures, journal entries, logging down meetings for the king and so forth. He wasn’t sure he could cope.

On the other hand, he would be lying if he said it hadn’t crossed his mind, even though he wasn’t a perfect, fertile Alpha like Lani was. It wasn’t like they couldn’t afford to keep them. After all, they had one fourteenth of Erebor’s gold each. And Dwalin was always so good with children.

Perhaps…

“When is your next heat?” he asked and Dwalin grinned, his blush now faded.

“About a couple of days,” he said, pressing a kiss to Ori’s lips.

“Right, that gives me time to think,” Ori replied, not sure if he should be happy or wondering what he got himself into.


	5. Bodyguard Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woo-hoooooo, I did it! Yeah it's a couple of months late, but I did it!

Dwalin hated being scared, but he hated to show or admit it even more. Stubbornness, as it may be, he would rather die fighting than run in fear.

That was after Erebor’s fall. When the dragon came, he tried to be brave. Tried to rescue as many dwarrows as possible, tried to put out the fires, avoid the flying rubble and Balin, where’s Balin?

It wasn’t until hours later, when what was left of Erebor’s people gathered by the lake, watching Dale burn, that he found his family, shaken yet alive. No matter how many witnesses there were, Dwalin would always deny that he fell to his knees sobbing loudly as he held his parents and brother.

Ever since then, Dwalin made that vow never to show his fear so cowardly, so shamefully. Balin had tried to tell him there was no shame in being scarred but he did not believe him.

For the next hundred years or so, Dwalin did everything he could to hide his fear whenever it showed up. He charged, yelled, killed, attacked whenever danger was about, all the while ignoring that all familiar pain in the back of his head, panicking whether he would still be alive after such ordeals.

But it was harder when other lives were affected. On the Battle of Azanulbizar, he pretended he didn’t hear Balin’s sobbing over the dead tried his best to comfort Thorin as he wept over the loss of his brother, once again that voice screaming that he didn’t do enough to save them. When Fili was a boy, he went missing for a few hours under Dwalin’s watch. He just about exploded with rage when he found Fili hanging from a tree instead of holding the boy close like he wanted to.

Now, Dwalin feared for the quest. Of course he was absolutely behind Thorin on this, how could he not be? But yet that voice was creeping up on him, whispering things like, _This is impossible! How will this even work? How can we trust this wizard? What if we die?_

Yet again, he ignored it, for the sake of his peoples’ future.

But there were times when he felt his fear may have helped others. As soon as he found out that Ori, the young dwarf who was always catering at his brother’s café and an aspiring journeyman, Dwalin took it upon himself to protect him from harm. Like the princes, Ori was far too young to be on such a dangerous journey, too inexperienced, which was probably why Dwalin silently appointed himself as his protector, despite his already overprotective brothers.

Thus far, it worked well. Whenever there were Orcs or Elves about, Dwalin was at his side, ready to push him away. When they were free from the goblins and then the spiders, the voice was practically screaming for him to run to Ori, hoping beyond hope it wasn’t too late.

And when Ori sat frozen as Bard loamed over him with his bow and arrow aiming right at him, Dwalin didn’t even think. The panic rushed through him and he was defending the both of them with just a stick of wood before he knew it.

Afterwards, even as he grew angrier with Bard as the day wore on from one annoyance to another, Dwalin could not shake that unpleasant cold feeling of nearly losing Ori. So he kept a very close eye on him, maybe standing closer and grabbing him out of harm’s way.

Eventually, Ori noticed.

“You know, I can defend myself!”

Dwalin glanced at Ori sceptically, swirling the brandy glass in his hand. They stood on a veranda on the far side of The Master’s house where no one disturbed them.

“Why do you say that?” he asked, partially knowing the answer.

“You keep touching me!” Ori pipped up, and then he blushed and coughed. “I mean, I know how to handle a weapon. You need not be at my breathing down my neck all the time.” He then added bitterly, “I have enough of that to last me a lifetime”

Dwalin frowned. It was true that Ori was much better at weaponry since the quest began, what with the princes and himself giving him lessons. But even so…

“Weapons don’t give you invincibility, lad,” he said, dryly. “There’s much more you’ll need to learn and they’re no walk in the medow.”

Ori looked offended. “Then you could at least let me try and defend myself! I will die fighting if I have to!”

“Against a dragon?” Dwalin snapped, not liking the sound of that last sentence one bit.

Ori turned red. “Don’t baby me, please! I have and can help with this quest! I’ve said before, I’m not afraid!”

“Well I am! I’m always afraid!”

Ori’s gaped at him and even Dwalin was shocked at his own words. Yet somehow, despite his vow all those years ago, it felt right to be said, especially to Ori.

They stood silent for a while, the distant singing and music of the party filling the void. Ori looked down a little, pulling on a loose thread on his gloves.

“Back in the goblin town,” he began, attentively. “I thought you were going to fall to your doom.”

Dwalin knew what he was talking about. When they jumped a broken bridge, he almost didn’t make it, just having enough sense to grab onto the edge.

“I remember,” he replied, a little softer. “You pulled me up.”

The corner of Ori’s mouth tugged a little but just for a moment. “I was afraid then.”

Slowly and very shyly, Ori reached out and lightly touched Dwalin’s free hand. Dwalin didn’t pull away, his heart thudding. He swallowed and smiled a little. “Alright, I’ll tell you what? I watch your back, and you watch mine. Least until we kill the dragon”

 _You mean if,_ the fearful voice said but Dwalin mentally told it to hush up.

Ori looked at him with the most endearing smile, his fingers laced through Dwalin’s. “That sounds fair.”


	6. Partner in Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or, more like the aftermath.

By now, Dwalin should be used to throbbing pain when he woke up after a fight, though that didn’t necessarily mean it got any easier each time.

He woke slowly though he was too drowsy to open his eyes or move. But he was still aware of his surroundings. He heard the murmuring voices of the company and the cracking of a fire. Bomber must be cooking his rabbit stew again and Dwalin felt his stomach ache at its smell. One arm felt more uncomfortable than the other, and defiantly not in the numb kind when one slept awkwardly.

Someone’s hand stroked lightly through his hair and it took him a while to realise that his head rested on someone’s lap. It was…actually quite nice, even though he would never allow anyone this close to him, unless they wanted to their legs broken.

He tried to remember what had happened before. There was an Orc raid that much he was sure of. Nasty buggers were everywhere, but he managed to fight most of them off, letting the younger ones escape unharmed. Next thing he knew, his face met the dirt with his head ringing. Before everything went black, he could’ve sworn he heard a cry of distress.

Back in the present, someone, probably Dori, harrumphed.  “It was a stupid move on your part, if you ask me. Pull that stunt again young man and I’m sending you straight home!”

“Ah, give it a rest Dor,” Another voice, Nori, said. “He’s alive is he not? I say good on you, Little Brother. You’re growing up fast!”

“Oh, don’t encourage him! Next thing you know he’ll be throwing himself off cliffs for Dwalin!”

The company laughed and the hand stroking his hair tightened a little. Dwalin realised whose lap he was resting on and his heart most defiantly did not do summersaults when Ori spoke.

“I-I was just doing what any decent being would do! Besides, I didn’t really think about it.”

“Aye, a fine pair you two will make,” Balin chuckled and Ori tensed under Dwalin’s head. “He always says something similar after he goes off and plays hero.”

Balin’s voice changed when he spoke next. It took a couple of seconds for Dwalin to realise he was doing a bad impression of him.

“’Och, leave me alone, ya tweedy old bastard! If I hadn’t heroically changed in, your pathetic old arse would be chopped into chunks!’”

The company save for Ori laughed harder. Dwalin doesn’t response at first, but then, without moving from his spot or opening his eyes, he lifted his uninjured hand and made a rude hand gesture in the direction of Balin’s voice. This set everyone off, wailing and crying until he heard a thump, no doubt Bofur keeling over again.

Serves him right, the ungrateful git.

Amongst the laughter, he heard a small voice speaking quietly to him. “Um, how much of that did you hear?”

Finally, Dwalin cracked open his eyes. Ori was bathed the warm firelight, contrasting the night sky above him. Dwalin’s lips tug into a smile and he moved his hand up Ori’s arm, the one cradling his head.

“Enough,” he replied, and he swore he saw a blush in Ori’s cheeks. “Enough.”


	7. Free for all

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't be bothered to pick a cliché so instead have cute stupid love-sick idiots kissing.

Ori was soft for a dwarf. His body still had that unmistakable bulk, especially his belly pouch, but very soft. The large amounts of clothing made him softer and more irresistible to touch and embrace, feeling his body almost squish under Dwalin’s arms.

Ori’s fingers, long and nimble for a dwarf, were smooth, ink stained and as Dwalin lightly stroked them, it sent a shiver through Ori. Very warm too as they smoothed down Dwalin’s moustache and beard.

Ori’s eyes were lovely, brown, rich, strong and bright as the Glittering Caves. Even in the dark and away from the dying fire as they lay toward each other, Dwalin knew they were staring up at him with sweet shyness and bold eagerness as he slipped an arm around Dwalin’s waist.

Ori’s kisses…were a surprise. It was such a surprise that Dwalin wasn’t even sure who leaned in first. But soft, so very soft, he was undoubtedly sure of. It started with small pecks on each other’s cheeks, so gentle and light. Then Ori moved down a little, under Dwalin’s beard to kiss and nuzzle at his neck.

Dwalin’s breath caught, his face burning so much it might as well have glowed red like molten rock. Ori noticed, his fingers brushing Dwalin’s cheek and huffed a laugh against his neck, and then lightly nibbled on a sensitive part.

A growl, so low that he felt it more than heard it, rumbled in the back of Dwalin’s throat. He pushed Ori on his back, carefully so not to wake the others, and climbed on top. Now it was Ori’s turn to catch his breath as Dwalin kissed those soft lips.

Even though they really should keep quiet, their respective brothers only a few feet away, Ori responded just as he hoped he would. He moaned quietly into Dwalin’s mouth, nipping at the bottom lip. His tongue, warm and wet, flicked out across Dwalin’s lips, prompting him to open his mouth.

Then, oh then Ori moved his legs around Dwalin’s waist, shifting his body closer to his. And for a moment, Dwalin lost it. Pressing hard against Ori’s so soft body, Dwalin forgot himself and moaned as Ori gasped and writhed beneath him. A hand slid under his shirt, running over his skin and chest hair. Licking Ori’s mouth, Dwalin felt the evidence of their desire pressed against each other and began to move his hips. The friction was delicious, made even better by Ori moaning, moving, eager, bold, everything Dwalin could have wished for and-

A rustle and a grunt had the two pull apart, frozen. They lay still, Dwalin still on top as he lifted his head, his eyes narrowing in the dark. A shape of one of the others coughed, rolled over and began their snoring again. With his heart in his throat, Dwalin lulled his head and sighed quietly. Below him, Ori was shaking in a silent laughter, a thing Dwalin found enticing.

He squeezed Ori’s arm and pressed a finger to his lips before nodding towards Ori’s brothers, indicating that they should really get some sleep. Ori nodded back in understanding, though he reached up again to steal one final soft kiss.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, so very softly as a light, pleasant breeze in the summer.


End file.
